Unexpected
by mayaslash
Summary: Jack returns to the engine room to retrieve something, only to come accross a sight she never expected. Shepard/Thane/Garrus
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected

Jack cursed inwardly as she headed towards the elevator and back down the Engineering deck. Really, this was supposed to be shore leave. THE Shore Leave, if she had to be more precise, after they had kicked the Collectors' collective asses. She snickered at her own wit as she pressed the button and the elevator began to travel down, but then frowned at herself. She was getting soft. She was getting attached to people. A few months ago she would've told the Quarian girl to fuck off if she called her from the surface of the planet and begged her to get the datapad she had forgotten in the Engine Room before she went planetside. Only now, she had just sighed and ambled back from the airlock to retrieve the damn thing. Tali owed her a drink for this one. A big drink.

Still grumbling under her nose she waited for the door to the Engine Room to open with a soft hiss and walked in, looking around for the aforementioned datapad. It wasn't on Ken and Gabby's work-stations, and it didn't appear to be at Tali's either. Maybe Tali had put it somewhere around the Core?

She was just about to turn around the corner when she heard a moan. Jack paused in her step, blinked and raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if she'd hear another, and indeed, she did. It was a drawn out, hoarse moan that betrayed animalistic pleasure and carnal desire. It also possessed the distinct undercurrents and vibrations that only a Drell voice had.

Well, well, well. So, their illustrious Commander and her Drell lover got all frisky in the Engine Room, thinking that everybody else was on the planet, partying their victory away? Who knew that the always serious, spiritual, straight-faced assassin could get so adventurous?

There, another moan, cut off by a sharp hiccup and a gasp for air, then a soft mewl. Oddly enough, Shepard was quiet and Jack could've sword that out of the two, she'd be the screamer.

Quietly, she peeked behind the corner and took a good look inside, curious to see what Shepard was doing to elicit such sounds from her lover.

Jack had a vast experience when it came to fucking. Some of it was pleasant, some of it dull, some of it was something she wished to forget. Some of it also involved having sex with people not of her own species. That never bothered her and she used to think that nothing could ever shock her. Nothing. She had seen it all, done it all. What she saw in the Engine Room, however, made even Jack gawp in surprise and she barely held in a curse.

Krios was there, alright. Gloriously naked – and she let her eyes roam over his fit, sculpted figure, propped up against the wall, his thighs hooked around powerful Turian hips that rocked roughly back and forth and with each stroke the Drell moaned and arched into the length that impaled him. Jack's eyes roamed to Garrus, who was as naked as his partner, and followed the lines of his body. He was excellent male specimen of his species, all rock-hard muscles, corded sinew and hard carapace. His powerful hands were tight around Krios' wrists, holding them above his head, pressed to the cold metal wall as he fucked him with abandon.

WHAT THE FUCK!?

It was all that passed through Jack's mind as she stared at the scene before her, unable to look away.

Although part of her certainly enjoyed the show – free porn was free porn, after – a bigger part of her fumed and bubbled with outrage. This was exactly why she didn't do this relationship shit – you got close to someone, trusted them, loved them, and then the slut went and fucked someone behind your back. Shepard certainly deserved more than that, more than to have her "closest friend" and her "lover" to fuck like bunnies behind her back.

Jack's biotics flared and she was about to barge in there and teach them both a lesson they would never forget when a third voice, distinctly female, distinctly familiar, spoke:

"Do you like this, Thane?"

"He loves it." Garrus responded and gave a particularly sharp thrust, obviously delighting in the needy moan that elicited from Krios' full lips.

Shepard suddenly came into view and leaned on the wall next to them, her hand sliding across the Drell's flushed cheek and fingers teasing his lips. Krios immediately ran his tongue over them, sucked them in his mouth and all three of them sighed.

OH.

That was… unexpected. But then again, it was always the quiet ones that surprised you, after all.

"Be more gentle with him, Garrus." Shepard chided and reached with her other hand to massage the Turian's broad shoulder. "Like you're with me."

Jack really wanted to slap her forehead now, but she knew that the sound would give her away.

"I am not fragile, Siha." Thane murmured between sighs when she removed her fingers from his mouth.

"And neither am I." she calmly informed him. "But Garrus is strong, stronger than the both of us together." She turned to Garrus again, the glowing red implants in her eyes flashing under a fringe of dark hair. "Be gentle with him." She repeated more forcefully."

The Turian nodded obediently and his thrusts slowed down but also became deeper, rocking the Drell's entire body. Shepard leaned and captured his mouth in a slow, messy kiss as her fingers played with the scales on his chest, then slid to Garrus' body to caress whatever flesh she found uncovered by the hard carapace. The Turian growled low in his throat as she touched him and leaned towards her, hips not seizing their rocking, to lick at her exposed throat.

"I love the way you taste." He whispered, the tone of his flanging voice sending heat down Jack's already tightening centre.

Shepard smiled into the kiss and turned to lick the Turian's mandible. His entire body shuddered and his mandibles twitched under her wet tongue.

"Get him down on the floor." Shepard ordered quietly and pulled away, watching as Garrus effortlessly lifted Thane off the wall and they both slid down to the ground, Thane arranged on all fours, the Turian kneeling behind him, his claws clutching at his narrow hips. His organ, longer if perhaps not as thick as a human's, slid between Krios' iridescent cheeks and once again breached his body and Jack watched them shudder.

Biting her lip, she tried to stay as still as possible, knowing that to try and relieve her own arousal now was to probably court disaster. They hadn't noticed her by now, but surely they would if they heard rustling of clothes. And that would be just bad.

Shepard reached for her own uniform, tugging it free of his body and dropping it behind her, then sat on the bunched clothes so that her naked ass didn't touch the cold metal floor of the Engine Room.

She sidled forward until she was within Thane's reach and the Drell's elegant hands immediately went to her hips, tugging her closer, his mouth latching onto her exposed center. Shepard cursed in a way that made even Jack's ears burn, then grabbed his head and pressed his mouth even closer. Garrus smirked and his hips snapped forward again, setting the previous rough, fast rhythm Shepard had advised against.

It seemed that she didn't mind this time because their Commander was just too busy rocking into Krios' talented mouth as well and they were fucking him roughly from both sides, something he appeared to enjoy immensely, considering the way he writhed and arched between them, the sound of his moaning muffled by Shepard's body. Her hands, graceful and long-fingered caressed his broad back, tracing the spot his jacked left uncovered over and over and Jack watched him press closer against her hand. Shepard's red eyes locked with Garrus' blue ones and the scars on her face appeared to darken along with the flush that blossomed across her cheeks as she reached and grabbed the Turian's hand from Thane's hips and pressed it around their lover.

The Turian got the hint immediately and wrapped his fingers around the Drell's straining arousal, rubbing it in time with both their thrusts.

There was no more talking afterwards, just the wet, slick sound of flesh slapping against flesh, needy moans and hissing and the Turian's animalistic growls of pleasure. Shepard was first to reach her peak, arching into Thane's agile tongue, her hand pressing his face so harshly against her that breathing must've been downright impossible, but that was perhaps why he shuddered and came as well, his body spasming and milking the Turian's own orgasm out of him.

They fell in a sweaty, satisfied pile on the floor afterwards, Krios between the two of them, all of them petting each other with abandon as their pleasure slowly ebbed away.

Jack was flushed, aroused and panting and her knees barely held her as she clutched at the wall with a white-knuckled hand.

"Jack?" Thane suddenly called.

OH, SHIT.

Well, she wasn't about to let them know just how flustered she was.

"Yes, Krios?" she responded, proud by how steady her voice was.

"Tali's datapad is in Grunt's room down the hall." Garrus said, voice a little breathless.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome." Shepard said.


	2. Chapter 2

"Stay still, Mr Vakarian." Mordin ordered him quietly as he fussed over the bandage on the side of his head.

Garrus took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Twitching would be counterproductive to what the good doctor was trying to do, so he forced himself to remain still. Yet, he felt quite anxious about what his head would look like when the bulky bandage was removed. He had seen the medical report describing his state after his injuries had been treated and he knew it wouldn't be pretty. He hoped that at the very least it wouldn't be completely repugnant.

Now, after months of recuperation, the bandage was ready to come off.

There was an unpleasant prickling sensation as Mordin pulled the protective covering away and surveyed the results, his fingers gently poking and prodding the revealed flesh.

"So, how is it, Doc? Worse than my face?" he inquired, struggling to keep his tone light. He didn't want anyone to know just how bothered he was by this disfigurement. He was a Turian, after all, a member of military oriented species and scarring was something that occurred quite often, but still, as embarrassing as it was, his self-esteem couldn't take more damage at the moment. At least when it came to his appearance.

"There." The Salarian seemed pleased with the result as he handed him a mirror. "I wouldn't say that you're as good as new, but it could have been a lot worse than that. And be grateful that you didn't lose your hearing."

Somewhat apprehensively he lifted the mirror and surveyed the damage to the side of his head. All in all, Mordin was right, actually – there was scarring, and discoloration, some of the bluish scales were half-melted and disfigured, but it wasn't as extensive as he had thought it would be.

"…should probably speak to a plastic surgeon." Mordin was still talking when he finally tuned him back in. "I am sure that they can fix even that."

"You did an excellent job, Doc." Garrus told him as he ran his ungloved fingers over the scars. Sensation there was definitely less than on the other side of the head, but it was present at least. It could've been worse.

"Nerve damage would be more difficult to correct." Mordin elaborated, noticing his gesture. "But not impossible."

Garrus nodded. He owed the Salarian a lot. If it hadn't been for him, he would've remained a brain-damaged cripple for the rest of his life – something that made the prospect of carrying some scarring seem insignificant.

"I cannot thank you enough for your help, Doctor." He said solemnly.

Mordin waved him off.

"You're welcome."

Garrus was about to get up from the cot to return to his duties when the Salarian spoke again:

"Actually, before you go, I have another matter I wish to discuss with you."

He remained in his seat, giving Mordin a questioning look.

"It's about Mr. Krios… Thane."

"Oh?"

"You personal life and that of the commander are certainly not any of my business, but I thought that I should inform you of certain things. I already spoke with Shepard about it."

They had tried to be as discreet as possible, of course, but then again, a spaceship, regardless of the race that operated it, always reminded of a tin can filled to the brim with rumours. Nothing was really private on such a vessel and it wasn't surprising that the doctor was aware of their arrangement.

"I assure you, we are all lucky enough not to go into anaphylactic shock when… ingesting." He said lightly. Mordin frowned at him and his joke.

"That is not what I want to talk about." He said, tone a little sharper than usual.

Now Garrus was truly intrigued.

"What about then, doc?"

"As you know, I've been attempting to find a treatment for Thane's condition, or at least slow the progress enough so that he'd be able to wait for whatever treatment the Hanar come up with. They have the funds and the labs to do so. This lab, as excellently equipped as it is, wasn't made for such extensive testing."

Garrus nodded, still not entirely sure where Mordin was going with this.

"Thane often comes here for exams and tests though." The Salarian elaborated. "I do full body scans. I couldn't help but notice that for the past several weeks he's had some quite visible marks, obviously left from your claws. Some from your teeth as well."

Garrus' mandibles twitched and pressed close to his jaw as his mind was suddenly filled with memories of bodies entwined together, of heady scent of arousal, of both hoarse and musical moaning filling his ears. He was turning into a lech, like Septimus, he was sure of it.

"I assume that you caused those during sexual encounters?"

"So what if I have?" he muttered, knowing very well he sounded defensive. "Everything that happens between us is consensual. And he's perfectly capable of stopping an encounter he doesn't enjoy."

"Physically capable? Quite." The Salarian agreed. "Mentally capable? Not so much."

Garrus gaped at him for a moment:

"What are you talking about?"

"Drell are uncommon species in Citadel space, as you are probably aware." Mordin explained. "Most people aren't very aware of their social norms. Commander Shepard and yourself included, apparently."

Garrus narrowed his eyes at him but waited for the Salarian to elaborate.

"If you're suggesting that I forced him in any way…" his voice was cold, even if his stomach seemed to curl in on itself in unease.

"Not forced, not exactly." Mordin agreed. "Drell social structure different. Most species characterize their sexuality by the gender they are attracted to. While Drell sometimes do as well, that is not the leading factor when they enter a relationship. They're about as versatile as the Asari in that regard, at least when it comes to gender. Species, not so much."

He raised his hand to cut Garrus' question off and continued.

"The main characteristic is whether they are dominant or submissive, although the dominants constitute almost ninety percent of their population. And I don't just mean sexually dominant and submissive."

He moved to lean against his working station.

"Submissives are often discriminated against. Since it's a genetic trait a family knows what the baby is as soon as it is born. Sometimes they do testing even before that and sometimes just abort the fetus."

To say that Garrus was shocked would be a gross understatement.

"That is just…. mindboggling. And cruel. Why would they do that?"

"A submissive, as the name implies, needs direction. They are less independent than the dominants, and have difficulty functioning on their own without outside control. The Drell have been living on the Hanar homeworld only for several generations. Back on Rakhana, with its limited resources and difficult environment such people were viewed as burdens and treated as such. Old habits die hard. Nowadays, as I mentioned, they are often discriminated against, given lesser-paid jobs and even just paid less for doing the same thing as a dominant. The less fortunate ones are illegally sold to slaver rings that then traffic them to brothels where they are highly sought after because of the natural hallucinogenic qualities of their sweat and other bodily fluids."

Garrus' mandibles pulled back in a sneer of disgust.

"And the Hanar allow this?"

"Not officially, no. Their government often passes legislations against such practices, but they are difficult to enforce. Not to mention that many Hanar look down on the Drell as second-class citizens to begin with and couldn't care less about how Drell mistreat each other."

"All that you described, Doc, is absolutely revolting, but what does it have to do with our relationship with Thane?" he paused. "Is he a submissive? Doesn't look very submissive to me."

"Does he, now?' The Salarian's eyes glittered. "He's probably learned to hide it well by now. It must've made his life easier when he was on Kahje." He leaned forward a little before continuing "One of the few ways for a submissive to escape such undignified life is to be given to the Hanar as a servant, honoring the Compact. Everybody wins in that case – the Drell get rid of children that embarrass their families and instead are admired for honoring the Compact, the submissives are given respectable and well-paying jobs and the Hanar gain people who have opposing fingers. Of course, some of these children are trained to do less trivial tasks. Assassination and spying, for example."

"So, Thane is a submissive after all. You're sure?"

"Quite. He wouldn't have allowed you to cause so much damage otherwise." He paused "There was actually some tearing when he came here last."

Garrus' mandibles and throat worked but no sound came out. He felt like trash. Like he had betrayed a friend.

"I didn't realize…" he began and stopped when his voice caught in his throat.

"You couldn't have. I know that Turians sometimes engage in polyamorous relationships and individuals of the same sex in them establish pecking order among each other in such cases. I assumed that this was what you were trying to do? If not consciously, then instinctively?"

He nodded numbly.

"Probably."

"Thane wouldn't have attempted to stop you because… well, it's not really in his nature. He's far from helpless, we both know that, but in a relationship his natural instinct would be to obey. It's not something he can help. I thought I should inform both you and Shepard not to take advantage of that, even if it's not on purpose."

He nodded firmly and stood up.

"I will never allow this to happen again." Garrus reassured him. "Never again."

His mind was whirring furiously as he left Mordin's lab and headed down to the elevator to return to his station. He felt disgusted with himself, with his own ignorance and with the fact that he had allowed himself to harm and hurt a person who was becoming as important to him as Shepard was.

He hadn't trusted the Drell initially. He represented all that he hunted and systematically eradicated from Omega, as well as other dark places of the galaxy he had visited before that. Garrus had no problem with killing morally corrupt people, people that preyed on the weak and helpless, but the notion of taking a life simply because he was paid for it filled him with revulsion. He had been more than a little tense during the first few missions when Shepard took the two of them along, always expecting betrayal from the other man, always tempted to put a bullet on the back of his head when he wasn't watching. When Shepard wasn't watching. Just in case, so that he could prevent any future betrayals. Only his awareness that his judgement was clouded due to Sidonis' recent treason and his own loyalty to Shepard prevented him from doing so.

That distrust had lingered, festered, always gnawing at him, turning into a quiet rage when he noticed just how close the two of them were becoming. He could see the way the Drell looked at her, the way his obsidian eyes followed her motions when they were on the battlefield. The looks were never vulgar, never obscene – Thane had more class than that, Garrus had to give him that – but they were longing and sweet and they pissed Garrus off. During the two years since the destruction of the first Normandy he had finally come to grips with his own emotions, his own feelings for his late commander. He had never believed, not even for a moment, that he could interest her in that way, so he always kept her at an arm's length. It was easier that way, easier to ignore what he felt. When she died, his world fell apart.

He had gotten a taste of freedom while serving on the Normandy, freedom of restrictions that got in his way when he wanted help people, to catch criminals, or even better, eliminate criminals. Returning to C-Sec, with their endless red tape had seemed repugnant to him. But then again, that hadn't been the reason why he dumped his old life completely and invested whatever funds he had into weapons and armour and took the first flight to Omega. When Shepard died he realized that he had made a mistake to push her away, to keep quiet about the way he felt about her but it was too late. All he had been able to do was to try and follow in her footsteps in a desperate attempt to recapture the way he had felt when he had served under her command. With her gone, it was all he had left. And when he failed at that too, betrayed by someone he had began to consider a friend, he holed himself up on that bridge, waiting to die and at the same time determined to take as many of those bastards with himself as he could.

And then Shepard had appeared, descending upon the advancing mercs with a ferocity that surprised even him. It was her, alive, breathing and beautiful and he suddenly wanted to live again. The damn gunship almost put an end to those plans. For a moment, as he lay there, his right side numb, his blood spilling on the grimy floor of the ancient space station, he thought that fate was beyond cruel to offer him what he had thought lost only to tear it away from him again.

They had rekindled their relationship afterwards, grown closer, the lines between commander and underling blurring, their friendship tentatively blossoming into something new and exciting. And then the Drell appeared. Quick and graceful, where he was large and bulky, all sleek muscles and smooth scales, where Garrus was all sharp angles, full human-like lips, where Garrus had none, shapely legs and gentle hands, where Garrus had three claw-tipped fingers, funny and witty where Garrus was tongue-tied and awkward. The Drell made him feel inadequate and alien and it was Kaidan Alenko all over again.

Oddly enough, Shepard didn't stop visiting him, flirting, offering things he dreamt about and didn't dare to ask for. He knew she did the same with Thane, he could tell by the way the Drell angled his body when they fought whatever the daily menu of foes offered them – vorcha, mercs, the occasional mech and if they were very lucky – Collectors. It confused him and angered him at first, and that wasn't a good combination when you had to count on someone to watch your back.

Things finally changed when they went down to Haestrom to pick up Tali. The place was crawling with Geth, all seemingly bent on blowing them to tiny organic pieces. The Colossus hadn't helped the situation at all and in one brief, tense moment, when it fired its missiles right at Garrus' position he had felt like he was back on Omega, trapped against the gunship, about to lose all he had just regained – and then Thane was on him, pulling him away, dragging him to safety. When Garrus regained his footing he turned to look at the assassin and noticed the dark stream of blood against his chest and the way he limped before searching his pockets for Medigel, only to find none. It had seemed natural to offer him his own and he did so without a word, his anger at the Drell slowly dissipating.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Despite their newfound camaraderie, Garrus still felt uncomfortable with the fact that Shepard seemed bent on flirting with the both of them, and although she was very discreet about it, he knew that she was doing it. Mostly because the Drell hadn't stopped looking at her with that same tender expression he wore on Haestrom. His own jealousy seemed to be lessening, but this strange triangle bothered him – he knew from experience that it could create tension between them in the most unfortunate moments. Finally, he decided to confront her and give her an ultimatum. He waited until she appeared behind him in his work-station for one of their chats, turned around and gave a serious, though not hostile, look.

"I don't want to be caught in a stupid love triangle, Shepard." He announced and cringed at the same time, feeling that he could've at least tried to be more diplomatic about it. They weren't exactly involved yet, they had given no promises to each other But then again, diplomacy had never been his strong suit.

She cocked an eyebrow, the newly developed implants in her eyes emitting a faint crimson glow.

"You're talking about Thane." She stated calmly.

He nodded, hoping he wouldn't have to elaborate further.

"Choose one of us, Shepard. But stop toying with us."

Her expression was thoughtful, but not angry. She rarely got angry, but when she did the whole ship found out about. Occasionally, the whole Galaxy found out about it. Garrus knew her well enough by now to be aware that she possessed a very long and slow-burning fuse with a nuke attached at the end of it. He also hoped never to become the target of that rage. It wasn't healthy.

Shepard nodded, her fingers raking over her short dark curls.

"I'll think about it." Was all she responded before turning on her heel and leaving.

She'd think about it? What kind of answer was that? He fumed quietly for the next few days over that response. They hadn't had the opportunity to speak about it further as things became quite hectic when they went inside the disabled Collector ship, only to discover that it wasn't that disabled after all. Their discoveries there chilled him to the tips of his fringe and left him shaken and sickened by the prospect of any of their races ending up like the Collectors. Aside from that, Shepard's decision to take both of them to watch her back, despite their unresolved issues confused him at first, but he firmly put his worried aside as they struggled to reach their shuttle on time. The three of them fought in perfect synch, as if they had done that all their lives. Despite the danger, the intense rage at the Illusive Man for leading them in a trap, Garrus felt exhilarated, bloodlust burning in his veins as he watched Collector heads burst like ripe fruits from the slugs of his or Thane's sniper rifles, or just fly around like rag dolls when Shepard's biotics made a short work of them.

The Husks at the very end were intensely annoying. He really hated those creatures –from the sounds they made to the putrid smell of their rotting flesh to the damned ability to move a lot faster than their decomposing muscles should've been able to so that they could surround you and just bludgeon you to death in the most primitive of manners. None of them, however, counted on the Scion that appeared around the corner, completely unexpected, like some nightmarish, bulbous construct of synthetics and organics. It fired its weapon and both he and Thane dove for cover. Shepard, however, was too close to the creature, much too close to have enough time to react. The glowing blue substance splattered all over her and she staggered back, dazed and confused, almost toppling over.

Thane's battle cry echoed in his ears along with his own roar of rage, the Assassin's biotics ripping through the monstrous creature's shields and then both of them aimed for its head, satisfied when it screeched and fell apart.

They ran towards her, grabbing her under the arms and dragged her towards the shuttle, not pausing to consider how well she fit between them.

She regained full consciousness by the time they arrived on the Normandy and was up and heading for the Communications Room as soon as they touched down, her face pale with barely contained rage, drained of all colour except for the glowing crimson of her eyes. Neither of them said a word as the door closed behind her.

Thane and he looked at each other and then quietly retreated back to their usual spots, patiently waiting for the storm to dissipate. If Garrus hadn't been that enraged at the Illusive Man and Cerberus in general, he would've almost felt sorry for their new employer. Shepard was a calculating, vindictive individual and he was sure she would make the bastard pay, sooner or later.

He expected a visit from her afterwards but his surprise EDI informed him that after her conversation with their boss Shepard had locked herself in her room and forbidden any attempts to communicate with her unless they were under attack.

He was pretty sure he knew why too – she was an individual who loved control, craved it and the Illusive Man had put her in a situation where control was wrestled out of her tiny human hands. No wonder she hid away – better to work that rage out on her own rather than take it out on a hapless crew member.

When a few hours later he heard the automatic doors open behind him, he expected that she was finally done raging and had decided to visit him, but when he turned around, he saw the Drell standing there, looking a little awkward, holding a plate of food that definitely wasn't Drell. In fact, it looked suspiciously like a Turian meal.

"Gardner accosted me while passing by him in the corridor." Thane explained flatly. "He said you haven't eaten anything all day and then gave me this." He offered the plate to Garrus. "Demanded that I hand it to you." Thane finished.

"Oh…" was all Garrus could say at that, his gaze moving from the plate to Thane's face, than back to the plate again. "Uh… thank you."

"You're welcome." The other responded mildly. Awkward silence filled the small room. Garrus shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Come to think about it, he'd never actually had any sort of social conversation with Thane. Considering their situation, perhaps it would be prudent to try.

"Have you dined yet?" he asked, pleased that his voice sounded so steady. The Drell blinked rapidly with his nictating membranes, apparently surprised by the question, but then shook his head. "No, I haven't yet."

"Well, I am sure Gardner has prepared something suitable for you as well." Garrus informed him. "We could go to the port observation deck…" he trailed off, wondering if this was a good idea at all. Once again though, Thane merely nodded.

They left Garrus' station and the Turian watched his companion as he went to Garder and was offered a bowl of something. As he approached him he saw that the "something" appeared to be different fleshy fruits cut to small pieces and then it occurred to him that Drell, being reptiles, probably lived mostly on fruits. Whether or not they fed on bugs as well remained to be seen. He just hoped he wouldn't see Thane munching on a Collector. The mental image both unnerved and amused him at the same time and he coughed to cover his urge to snicker.

They moved to the observation deck without speaking a word to each other and then finally settled on the floor, the large panoramic window before them giving a perfect view of the star-studded void beyond the walls of the ship.

"I am beginning to understand why Samara likes this so much." Thane observed after a short silence and Garrus agreed.

"Yes. It is very… soothing." He paused. "If somewhat creepy. The ship's walls are the only thing standing between us and a rather gruesome death." He paused at those words, suddenly wishing to kick himself. Shepard had experienced said "gruesome death" and joking about it, even as casually as it had been, was wrong.

Thane nodded without a word, quietly chewing on the on a piece of juicy, dark-red fruit. He had seen those before. Shepard showed him a vid once. Strawmerry? Strawverry?Ah, yes, strawberry.

Garrus watched the other as he popped the luscious piece of red fruit in his mouth, full lips pursing at the taste before he licked them with delight. He and Shepard – as well as all humans – had similar facial structure and similar body-structure, so very different than a Turian. Thane appeared a bit less squishy than Shepard though nowhere near as armored as Garrus himself. He had no time to wonder at his himself for the direction his thoughts had taken, because Thane suddenly spoke:

"Siha visited me shortly before we headed to the 'derelict' Collector ship." He spat the word 'derelict' with the same venom Garrus felt when he thought about Cerberus' deliberate omission of important intel. "She spoke of the ultimatum you gave her. Then she asked me if I thought in the same way as well."

Well, that did make sense, although Garrus wasn't entirely sure why the Drell would share that information with him.

"And did you?" he inquired after he swallowed the piece of food in his mouth.

The Drell shrugged elegantly.

"Siha and I have not given any oaths to each other." Was all he said for a while. "And she left me with the impression that she had no desire to choose, at least not in that moment."

Garrus stared at the endless sea of stars beyond the window and resisted the urge to sigh. He was beginning to suspect what Shepard wanted. He knew her quite well by now, too well perhaps. She was brave and smart and genuinely cared for her crew, cared for the well-being of the peoples in the entire galaxy to the point where she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice her life for them. But she was also coldly calculating and above all else, she was greedy. What Shepard wanted, Shepard got and she felt very little remorse to employ any means she possessed to get what she wanted.

He had begun to trust Thane, had become willing to entrust his life in his hands and he knew that the sentiment was mutual, but could he bear to share Shepard with him in such a way? 

"I was left with the impression that you wanted more from Shepard than sex." He finally told him watching as the elegant green fingers around the bowl of fruit twitched at his observation.

"I do. But I do not have the time and the luxury, not to mention the position to demand more than she's willing to give me." He paused, before finally asked the question that bothered the both of them. "What exactly is it that you want from her, Garrus?"

Sex alone had definitely been the initial idea. But sex without any sort of attachment happened between people you didn't care about. He had respected the scout he mentioned to Shepard that day when he described Turian pre-mission preparations, certainly, he had admired her, but he hadn't cared about her. Compared to her, Shepard's position was entirely different.

"I am not in love with her, if that's what you're asking." He answered sharply, wishing he sounded less defensive than he did.

"But you care." Was Thane's answer and Garrus was pleased to note that there was more heat there than what the Drell must've wished to show as well.

"I do." He finally admitted. Silence reigned in the Observation Deck for several long minutes afterwards before he spoke again. "So now what?"

"Now we wait and see where Siha wants to take this." Was the self-assured answer.

"Siha" made no attempt to reject either of them in the following days and they completely abandoned the notion after the disastrous results from the Reaper IFF integration. Losing the crew – and it was his crew as well, damn it, even if they were Cerberus – just drove it home that they had very little time left. Jealousy, at this moment, seemed pointless.

Still, he felt a little surprised when he entered Shepard's quarters in the eve of the final battle only to find the Drell assassin already there. Thane, however, didn't appear particularly amorous at that point, only deeply distraught. The connection Garrus had already built with him was enough reason for him to feel as concerned as Shepard looked and he made no attempt to interfere as she comforted their teammate, their companion. He couldn't help but admire her patience, her eagerness to make this work, to calm his own fears that this night would be disastrous for all three of them.

It had been awkward and tentative, with Garrus and Thane trying to touch each other as little as possible while running their hands all over her, but it had been nowhere near disastrous. In the end, it even seemed right, with the way she fit so perfectly between them.

Afterwards, after they survived and celebrated that survival, they began to settle in a routine. They would visit her, whenever she called them or whenever they desired, almost always careful not to go on the same night. There were moments when that failed and they found themselves in front of her door together, only to be invited inside without any hesitation. Time passed and they grew more and more comfortable with that arrangement, became tuned in to what the other two desired. In the end, it felt natural for Garrus to reach for Thane and touch him as he watched him gently rock in and out of their lover. He had responded to his touch with surprising eagerness, something which seemed to greatly please Shepard.

And all that led all three of them to their current predicament. Garrus stared blindly at the numbers and symbols running down his screen, indicating trajectory calculations, gun specifications, prices for new upgrades for the Normandy – Shepard preferred the ship to always be in top condition, not having even an ounce of doubt that the Reapers were coming and this was just the calm before the storm.

Garrus had work to do, important work, and yet his mind was occupied with the information Mordin had fed him earlier today. He really had had no idea about any of this. It had been his natural reaction, once they began to share Shepard's bed he tried to establish his dominance, as it was customary in such relationships among Turian society. It had never occurred to him that he could possibly take advantage of someone in such a way and the fact that he had actually done just that nauseated him. He needed to speak to Thane about this, apologize, make it up to him somehow. Problem was, he didn't even know how to broach this thorny subject. It was clear from the very beginning that Thane was a fiercely private person, volunteering information on a need to know basis only and apparently this particularly issue was somewhat of a taboo in Drell society. In his attempts to make amends he could just make things worse.

The door behind Garrus hissed and he turned to see if it was Shepard who was visiting, only to come face to face with Yeoman Chambers. The young woman had survived her ordeal in the Collector ship, and although her green eyes now appeared more guarded and haunted than before, she was still the well-meaning bubble of cheerfulness as before. Or at least she strived to present that image to her shipmates.

"Kelly?" he spoke, a little surprised at her presence but not unpleasantly so. "Can I do something for you?"

"Hello, Garrus." She smiled warmly. They were all on first name basis by now, after all they went through together. "The commander asked me to pass the message that she'd spend the next 36 hours, at least, on the Citadel, attending to private matters."

Private matters. That would probably mean trying to convince the Council to prepare for a Reaper invasion along with Ambassador Anderson. Something told him that they'd would have had more success if they had broke through Sovereign's plating by whacking their own heads against that thing.

"She got a message from Staff Commander Alenko." Kelly continued breezily, proving once more that the Normandy's rumour mill was nothing without her to feed it.

Kaidan, of course. He should've known that sooner or later those two would just have to have a little talk. Alenko's behaviour on Horizon had been atrocious and Garrus had had the urge to wring his pink human neck, even if at the time Shepard and he weren't involved. A smirk broke onto his scarred face and his mandibles pulled down to reveal the sharp teeth on the sides of his jaw at the thought of Shepard sharing her current relationship status with him. That would be amusing and gratifying to observe.

Chambers was watching the expression on his face with mild curiosity.

"Something amusing, Garrus?" she asked, her own lips twitching. He was pretty sure that she knew exactly why he was smirking that way, being well aware of the arrangement between the three of them. In fact, he was sure that the entire ship knew, though all tried to be discrete about it. "Thane smiled in the same way when I told him the same thing." She continued.

Well, of course he did. For all the things Mordin had said about Thane, the man possessed a dry and often somewhat sadistic sense of humour and loved unleashing it on unsuspecting victims. He didn't know Alenko, but perceptive and emphatic as he was, he had figured out on his own how deeply the human had hurt their lover.

Kelly left shortly afterwards and once again left him alone with his thoughts, looking quite pleased with herself.

It took him almost half a day afterwards to make up his mind about his next course of action but when he finally did, he left his station without hesitation and headed to Life Support.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, that took quite a while. I didn't expect that this chapter would turn quite this large, but it did and it refused all my attempts to separate it in smaller parts. Thank you for your patience and thank you for all the favourites and reviews, I greatly appreciate them. I hope you lile this chapter just as much! :D

**4**

By the time he reached the door of Life Support, his determination had begun to wane, but Garrus firmly stomped on his doubts and touched activated the door. It opened with a tell-tale hiss and he quietly walked in, only to blink in surprise when he noticed that Thane wasn't in his usual chair, nor was he by the observation window overlooking the Engine Room. Finally his eyes fell on the narrow bed by the wall and met Thane amused face.

The Dren was lying under a thin cover, now propped up on his elbows, curiously looking at his guest, apparently expecting explanation about the visit. His eyes were heavy-lidded though, and his posture quite relaxed – it was obvious he had been asleep when Garrus barged in, startled awake by the door and the scratching of Turian shoes on the metal floor. They both knew that had he sensed any danger, Thane would've been on the intruder in a matter of seconds, unleashing his impressive repertoire of deadly skills upon his unfortunate target. But, fortunately for Garrus, Thane was perfectly capable of differentiating between friend and foe even when asleep, so now he was just reclining on the bed, the thin blanket fallen to his waist, revealing his bared chest and strong arms.

"Can I help you with something, Garrus?" he said, his usually gravelly voice even deeper with sleep.

Garrus shifted from foot to foot, suddenly feeling guilty for waking him up, annoyed that he hadn't anticipated this – there was no set night and day cycle on the ship, people slept whenever they were free of duty and were sufficiently tired. With Shepard onto the Citadel, Thane had no reason to expect a mission any time soon, so he had just lied down for a nap.

"I apologize for waking you." He said. "I will leave now, so you can continue to rest."

"I am already awake, Garrus." Thane noted, the barest hint of exasperation in his voice. "Tell me why you're here."

For someone described by their resident genius doctor as a "submissive" Thane could be horribly assertive, Garrus decided and moved to sit on the edge of the bed when Thane pulled his legs up to his chest to free room. Really, Shepard should to think about installing a larger bed here, Garrus thought as he shifted on the thin mattress.

"Nothing in particular, actually." He lied. "I was just visiting."

Thane propped his pillow against the wall and leaned back against it, his thoughtful eyes focused on Garrus. Outside their interaction with Shepard and going on missions together they rarely socialized, at least at first, but the number of occurrences had been increasing for the past few weeks. They found each others' company pleasant and relaxing, finding a surprising amount of common interests to talk about. Shepard, of course, had top priority, but both discovered that there were other things that connected them – guns, sharing cultural practices, retelling stories from their past – some tragic, some amusing. Garrus discovered that the Drell could laugh out loud, something he thought him to be incapable of had laughed almost to tears when Garrus recounted the day when he stormed an illegal brothel on the Citadel only to discover his boss, Executor Pallin, in bed with an Elcor…worker. It was an image forever burned in the back of his mind. He had been a raw rookie back then, and although he had passed through the ruthless school of the Turian army, he discovered that he was still a bit naïve when it came to the large variety of individual tastes that existed in the galaxy. What Pallin was doing wasn't actually embarrassing, at least from a Turian point of view, since they considered that an adult person could do whatever they damn pleased as long as it didn't get in the way of work, but still… The image had been quite traumatizing.

"Yes but… just how did that work?" Thane had asked, referring to the scene Garrus had walked in. The expression that appeared on his new friend's face at the memory was enough reason for the Assassin to drop the subject, although he kept smiling at him and most of all, smiling in general for the rest of the day. In the end Shepard asked him why the fuck he was grinning like a loon over the carcass of a dead varren and later than night Garrus demonstrated – on an unsuspecting Shepard – what Executor Pallin had been doing. Not that it went very well – in the end they both dissolved into helpless giggles and Shepard was quite miffed at them for a full day before Thane explained things to her. Garrus knew he'd feel kind of sorry for the retired Executor when Shepard met the Turian next time. On the upside, Shepard told him that she liked when Thane laughed like that.

"…solipsisms seem to be rubbing off on you." Thane was saying, amusement evident in his voice. Garrus looked at him wide-eyed and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking of something."

"Oh?"

"…Executor Pallin." He muttered.

Thane actually grinned at the memory.

"I see."

"I heard he was currently on the Citadel. Shepard might meet him while she's there."

"If I can judge from what you've told me about your former boss, Shepard will probably be subjected to another speech in the line of "I am proud of my Qwib Qwib ship." Thane said with barely concealed mirth.

However, his expression soon grew serious again,

"Yeoman Chambers…Kelly, mentioned the mail Shepard received earlier today." He said.

Ah, Alenko. Garrus didn't really want to talk about that human, but he knew that Thane would be curious. Who wouldn't be, in his place?

"What about it?" he asked cautiously.

Thane remained quiet for a few seconds, obviously wondering if it would be tactless to ask about Shepard's personal life. Finally, his curiosity won out.

"Remembering this man seems to upset her." He offered diplomatically.

Garrus leaned back against the metal wall and looked towards the window on the other end of the room. He could see the Mass Effect Core vibrating subtly, surrounded by faint grey mist. So different than the brilliant explosion of light and colours of the first Normandy.

"While we chased after Saren, they grew close." He explained. "Very close. I don't know how serious it was, but she was definitely very attached to him."

Thane nodded and waited for him to continue.

"We met him on Horizon shortly before we went to pick you up from Illium. It didn't go well."

Thane was still looking at him quietly, his onyx eyes cool and pensive.

"It didn't go well." Garrus added after a while. "He accused her of treason for working with Cerberus, among other things."

It was oddly pleasing to observe then Drell's lips thinning in an obvious show of barely controlled anger.

"Fool." Thane muttered quietly after a few moments, tone surprisingly cold. Garrus could only nod to that. Well, it was Alenko's loss, after all. Shepard had become free to pursue other relationships. The only thing that still pissed him was that he had hurt her with his callousness and his surprising lack of empathy. He had never deserved her, Garrus thought, although aware that it was his former jealousy talking here.

He almost jumped when he felt something, two somethings, slide under his clothed thighs. Blinking, he turned to look at Thane and he realized that the Drell had tucked his toes under him. Thane smiled apologetically:

"You're very warm."

Oh.

The Drell was like one of those animals Shepard showed him on the Extranet – bats? Rats? Oh, right. Cats. Small, furry critters that always seemed to find the warmest spot in the room.

He reached down and lifted the bunched up blanket to reveal that Thane wore simple pair of wide pants of made of thin, black cloth. His fingers gently wrapped around a delicate ankle and he pulled one leg over his lap, then did the same with the other. Taking off his gloves he ran his clawed, warm hand over the sensitive soles of Thane's feet before turning to meet his eyes again. The Drell didn't seem to mind what Garrus was doing and that emboldened him. He gently began to massage him, first one foot, then the other, marveling at the exotic texture. The scales were thicker on his soles, and a little larger as well. There was thin, almost translucent webbing between his elegant toes, each tipped with a small but sharply pointed nails. His fingers traced that ebbing again and again until he heard a small moan coming from the head of the bed. Garrus turned only to discover that his companion had leaned back with half-lidded eyes, full lips parted in grimace of pleasure as he explored the thin membrane. Apparently it was a very sensitive spot. He kept massaging his feet while observing his reactions. He could tell that the Drell was getting more and more relaxed with each passing minute. Good. He needed him as calm as possible when he finally spoke of his reason for coming here.

Garrus rubbed the Drell's feet for a while, exploring and caressing and massaging, and his companion relaxed more and more, eventually emitting a soft, low-frequency purr. A human wouldn't have been able to hear it, but sensitive Turian ears picked it up with ease. Finally, when he was sure that the other was boneless with pleasure, he spoke again:

"Mordin tells me that he's making progress with your condition."

Thane nodded minutely, his large onyx eyes closed in bliss.

"He also told me that I have treated you in the most callous manner."

The purring stopped. Thane opened his eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?"

"He said that I hurt you, last time we were together. And not just last time."

Thane was silent for a very long time and Garrus could feel him tensing more and more. He doubled his efforts to caress all the sensitive spots on Thane's feet, hoping it'd help him relax again. It didn't seem to help but, but at least he wasn't tensing any further.

"You haven't done anything that I didn't like or I couldn't handle, Garrus. I've told you before, I am not fragile." Thane said, annoyance creeping in his voice.

"I never said you were. I just dislike the thought of hurting my lovers without being aware of it…or without specifically aiming for that." He explained, the flanging of his voice deepening towards the end of the sentence. Thane blinked rapidly, obviously confused.

"Aiming for that?"

He nodded.

"Some people like pain. Like being… dominated. I find nothing wrong with that, as long as I am sure everything's consensual. I am not the kind of person who'd just take advantage of someone."

The silence between them stretched again.

"The good doctor spoke about more than my Kepral syndrome, I see." Thane said coldly, withdrawing his legs from Garrus' lap. "Spoke about things that were none of his business."

"Perhaps. But they sure are my business, and Shepard's business, if we're to bed you properly. No one likes realizing that their partner might not have been entirely willing!" he snapped sharply and Thane actually flinched at the tone and looked away, embarrassment written all over his features.

"I never looked at it that way." He whispered. Garrus watched his hands clench and unclench as Thane tried to regain his composure. "Rest assured though. As I said, everything Shepard and you did I enjoyed and wanted."

Garrus paused, looking at his own lap.

"You could've said something. Educated us on the matter."

"You're right. I could have. I probably should have." He scooted up closer to Garrus. "You are offended because you think I don't trust you. Either of you."

Garrus snorted.

"Am I that transparent?"

"No. But it's the logical conclusion." Thane replied, tone mild and placating. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder now, backs pressed against the cold wall, Thane's blanket forgotten in a heap on the other end of the bed. Instinctively Garrus reached and wrapped his arm around the Drell's naked shoulders, once again surprised at the warmth he exuded - weren't reptilian species supposed to be cool to the touch? The flesh under his bared hand was covered in silky scales and he eagerly ran his fingers over the smooth texture. His companion emitted another small purr before letting his head billow on Garrus' bony shoulder

"I never mentioned anything more out of habit than anything else." He explained, struggling against the impending solipsism. He needed to stay in the here and now for this. He didn't want to relive those memories now. "Nothing good ever came out of me sharing that information with people."

"Did your wife know?" Garrus asked, feeling curious though he knew he was treading on dangerous ground.

"Irikah?" there was warmth and fondness in the Drell's voice when he mentioned her. "Yes. She found out, eventually. She was an open-minded person. She didn't mind that. Come to think about it, compared to my profession, my sexual preferences must've been a much smaller pill to swallow. She loved me for who I was."

They fell into comfortable silence, feeling content to bask in each other's presence. Garrus' arm around Thane's broad shoulders tightened and tugged him closer and the Drell eagerly moved until he was almost in his lap. Finally, he spoke again:

"After Irikah's death, however, things… changed."

Garrus remained silent, waiting patiently for Thane to find the words.

"Her family – her brothers and sisters had found out about me. It's possible she told them or they just drew their conclusions that I was employed by the Hanar as it is a common practice for people like me. I am sure Mordin enlightened you about that as well."

Garrus just nodded.

"Her family made it clear to me that Kolyat was to live with them."

"I thought that your son lived with his relatives because you went after his mother's killers." He asked.

"He did, yes. And even if they hadn't tried to twist my hand and force me to give him up, I would've probably gone after the Batarians anyway. I wasn't being rational in that particular moment. But I would've probably tried to work more quickly. I would've entertained the illusion that he and I could settle down somewhere afterwards and I would've made another attempt at a job that didn't involve killing." He didn't sound bitter. Thane almost never did. Pensieve, sad, yes, but never bitter. Garrus felt a little envious about it sometimes, wishing he was able to let go of his grudges like that. But then again, he assumed that the Drell's wish to only live in the present, not in the past, stemmed from his perfect memory. If he decided to wallow in his hurt, he might not be able to get out of it before his solipsisms drove him mad.

"What happened? What did they say?" he asked.

Thane shrugged in his arms.

"Nothing unexpected. They threatened me with a custody battle in court. My… preferences would've certainly exposed, and that would have been embarrassing, but what worried me more was that my job, my real job, could be exposed as well. Irikah was already dead, I didn't want to compromise Kolyat's safety any further."

Garrus' hand had moved to his head, petting the elegant ridges across his scalp before sliding to the flaring folds of flesh where human ears were situated. The first time he touched him there he was surprised to discover that they weren't hard and unyielding like cartilage, but rather thicker, leathery skin. Thane moaned and sighed softly when his clawed hands began to play with the skin and scales of that flaring ridge, leaning into the tender touch. Heat was building up between them and it occurred to Garrus that this might be the first time they were going down this road without Shepard's present and participating. Then he shrugged mentally and leaned to trail his tongue across the ridge on the other side of Thane's head. His companion shuddered and Garrus noticed the way the webbed toes curled in delight, so he repeated the action, pleased that Mordin's anti-allergen meds were working… for all three of them.

His tongue slid over the sensitive flesh of the ridge, tracing the ribbed, reddish sides of his cheek and reached Thane's full lips. He always marveled at the softness of both Drell and Human lips, and although his own facial features prevented him from kissing in the way his lipped lovers could, he discovered that with a little ingenuity he could do something just as pleasant with them.

His tongue slid over the full lips, slowly, tenderly, requesting entrance and they parted eagerly, Thane's own dark tongue sneaking out of his mouth, running over Garrus', curling around, caressing each other. He tugged the Drell to fully sit in his lap while they kept playing with each other. It occurred to the Turian that what they were doing right now would probably look completely obscene to an outside observer, but he couldn't care less at the moment. It was hot and wet and felt utterly divine. His three-fingered hands cupped Thane's behind and squeezed and massaged the twin perfect muscled globes, mapping their shape underneath the thin pants he wore. It was such a curious feature, on both Human and Drell, a place you could hold onto and squeeze and play with and they both – Thane and Shepard - seemed to love it. Turians had no such body part, the harsh environment and unforgiving sunlight having taken away everything they didn't need, turning their bodies into killing machines of muscle and hard carapace, all sharp angles and vicious claws and teeth.

Neither of his lovers seemed to mind though, as sleek and elegant as they were. Even now Thane was tugging at Garrus' shirt, nimble fingers finding the clasps of the garment and releasing them, then pushing it down his broad shoulders. He led go of the Drell for a moment to free his hands and then quickly wrapped his arms around him again, pressing as close as possible, the hard plates covering his chest pressing against thick reptilian muscle. Thane's right hand found his waist and caressed the much thinner flesh there, finding all of his sensitive spots, while the other slid right under his fringe and on the sides of his head, tickling and teasing him, full lips withdrawing from their wet tongue play to lap at his exposed throat just on the edge of his breast plates. Garrus growled and made a conscious effort to reign in the instinct telling him to bend over the smaller man over the cot they were sitting in and fuck him into oblivion. Instead, he leaned to nibble on a broad shoulder, mindful of his razor-sharp teeth, determined not to cause any more pain or damage. He soothed the place with his tongue, marveling at how the silken scales tasted.

A deep purr rumbled in Thane's chest as he did so, only to intensify when Garrus' hand found the spot on the length of his spine usually uncovered by the clothes he wore and dragged his claws against it. Thane arched into the touch and moaned hoarsely, only to do it all over again when Garrus repeated the action, having discovered early on that it was a very sensitive part of Drell anatomy, a sensory organ that responded both to vibration and heat and which was a major erogenous zone at the same time. Both he and Shepard had taken full advantage of that discovery with Thane's delighted cooperation.

Their groins were pressed tightly together, Garrus' own erection having long emerged from the leathery pouch that protected it against Palaven's lethal radiation. He could feel Thane's organ as well through the thin material of his pants, hot and heavy against him, slightly shorter but thicker than his own. He gripped Thane's narrow hips harder and rocked against him, shamelessly rubbing them together through their garments. Thane eagerly responded, wrapping his strong legs around him agility and pulling him even closer, the short but sharp nails of his fingers clawing at the thick hide of the Turian's back.

Thane leaned forward, his lips against his sensitive ear, warm breath caressing his side as he spoke.

"Fuck me, Garrus."

They had discovered the Drell's penchant for dirty talk early on, much to their delighted dismay, as neither of them could even remotely imagine that the usually polite and stoic assassin possessed such vocabulary. Even now, when he was well aware that Thane liked to talk like that in bed, it went straight to his groin when he heard the cultured voice whisper such words against his ears.

"Please, Garrus." The Drell's voice had gone even more hoarse than usual, the vibrations born in his chest and throat reverberating through Garrus' entire form. "Fuck me."

He hissed and his clawed fingers gripped the threadbare material of his pants, suddenly tugging and ripping and tearing them off of him, letting the ruined garment to fall on the floor when he was done.

Next thing he knew, Thane was lying back down on the cot, having pushed the blanket on the ground as well, gloriously naked, all sleek muscle and iridescent scales. His organ was thick and heavy against his flat belly, coloured in a similar way to his cheeks, delicate ribbing pattern running over his entire length. His testicles, unlike Garrus', were hanging in a pouch outside his body, just like a human's, and were nestled between his muscular thighs. A drop of dark fluid was gathering on the iridescent tip and leaned to lick it curiously, once again sending Mordin a quiet thanks for his anti-allergic medication. Sweet. Shepard had mentioned he tasted like that.

Thane's hips came off the bed when the Turian's long and agile tongue wrapped around his length and pressed against the leaking tip, his hands curling in the sheets, head thrown back in ecstasy.

"Garrus…"

He began to lick him, from the taut pouch of his balls to the heated tip of his arousal, making use of his much longer and thicker tongue, teasing him mercilessly and observing his needy reactions.

"Garrus… please…"

"Please what?" he asked, the flanging of his voice deepening as well, blue eyes darkened to near black.

Thane looked up at him and met his gaze.

"Let me touch you."

Mandibles pulling back in a distinct smirk he leaned back on his knees, long, muscled arms relaxed against his thighs and watched as Thane scrambled on the bed to sit up and reach for his clothes, eagerly pulling at their now familiar fastenings and tugging them off of him. Garrus cooperated eagerly and soon was as naked as his partner, who was running his graceful hands over his chest and the smooth flesh of his stomach, eagerly tracing the edges of his plates, then going back up to feel the smooth curve of his hump. Thane's hands felt different than Shepard's – slightly larger, covered in very fine scales and yet just as agile – Garrus closed his eyes and flung his head back when they returned to his stomach and inner thighs. Thane was a merciless tease and while his behaviour tempted the Turian to take charge as he usually did, this time he remained frozen on his spot, breath coming in short, shuddering gasps when he finally felt him fondle his arousal. The gasp turned into a growl and he snapped his teeth repeatedly when a soft mouth followed the touch. It took him several moments to compose himself enough to look down, knowing that the sight of the broad shoulders and the bobbing head might be too much for his already strained self-control.

He was right – when he looked down he met Thane's own obsidian eyes, glittering up at him as he wrapped his lips around his length and suckled gently, his agile tongue tracing tender patterns against his erection, teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. A few weeks ago Shepard had referred to his lips as being "the perfect cocksucker mouth" and while she had done so semi-jokingly and while under the influence of more than a few glasses of ryncol, Garrus decided that she had been, in fact, quite right about it. Thane's teeth grazed him again and he shuddered, his hand going to the back of the Drell's neck and pulling him away from him.

"Stop. I don't want to come in your mouth." He soothed when he saw the disappointed expression on his face, then leaned to lick his full, moist lips again and his lover responded immediately, strong hands wrapping around Garrus' shoulders.

When he let go of him Thane smiled and lied back down on the bed, arranging himself on hands and knees and reaching under the mattress. He pulled out a small metallic jar and handed it to Garrus, who recognized a familiar water-based gel all three of them used for such occasions.

Thane lifted his bottom and braced himself against the mattress when he felt Garrus' large hands caress the backs of his thighs and knead the perfect globes of his ass before coming to rest on his narrow hips, tracing the solid muscles.

"Turn around." The Turian commanded quietly, the flanging of his voice having deepened so much that he didn't sound himself anymore. Blinking in confusion the Drell complied and rolled over, spreading his knees for his lover to settle between them, propping himself up on his hands on both sides of Thane's head.

"You will promise me now that you'll tell me if I hurt you."

The blue of his eyes had become feverishly bright, almost electric in hue and Thane found himself nodding eagerly, hands coming up to trace the familiar facial structure, the smooth, leathery plates on the right and the rougher scar-tissue on the left.

"Say it." Garrus voice was quiet but it held an unmistakable command – Shepard wasn't the only person on this ship who was used to her orders being followed without a question.

"Yes. I will." He whispered. "I promise."

The Turian turned and licked the inner side of the palm caressing his scarred cheek.

"Good boy."

Under other circumstances Thane would've been unhappy being referred to as a "boy" and he would've made his displeasure known, but now all that the word provoked was an eager moan and his thighs spread even wider, beckoning his Turian lover to get down to business already.

Garrus eagerly complied with the silent request and uncapped the jar, dipping his fingers in the clear gel inside, using his other hand to grip one scale-covered leg under the knee and bend it upwards, pressing the knee against Thane's shoulder, delighting in his lover's flexibility.

He was careful to fully sheathe his claws before sliding in one thick Turian finger inside of him, then observed with barely contained pleasure as Thane whimpered and raised his hips, eager for more, his hands fisting in the sheets.

He leaned to lick the side of his neck and the base of his throat.

"Easy, easy." Garrus reassured him. "Be patient, I'll give it to you."

His words had the desired effect because Thane seemingly relaxed under him and allowed him to continue in his own pace, carefully loosening his body before adding his second finger with more lubrication.

Garrus had educated himself about Drell anatomy a while ago, after doing the same for human anatomy and had been pleased to discover that Drell males derived just as much pleasure from this act as a human male would, their sensitive point was situated deeper inside of them, perfect for his Turian digits and organ. A human wouldn't have reached that spot as easily and he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself as he finally guided his erection to Thane's loosened hole and lined the tip with the twitching, glistening muscle. It stretched obscenely around him when he finally slid in and he growled at the sight, the hand on Thane's hip tightening possessively as the Drell shivered under him.

Finally, he was fully inside of him, his bony Turian hips nestled against the soft flesh of Thane's ass. The place where they were joined so intimately throbbed in time with both their wildly beating hearts and he leaned back on his knees, looking at the ceiling and trying to imagine the most unsavory things he could think of in order to reign in his arousal and need to immediately begin thrusting roughly in the pliant body under him.

He felt Thane relax slowly around him, as well as the under him and finally the long legs came up and wrapped around his back, propped up by his wide hipbones. Strong hands gripped the edge of his collar and tugged him down, then Thane embraced him whispered against his ear:

"Fuck me, Garrus."

His breath caught and he closed his eyes tightly before setting a slow, deep rhythm that rocked the narrow cot beneath them, its strings creaking ominously with each thrust. Thane moaned softly every time Garrus erection brushed against his spot inside of him, his own organ trapped between their bodies. They were wrapped so tightly around each other that it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other begun, a sweaty tangle of limbs and bodies, slowly rocking against each other, nuzzling and kissing whatever flesh they could reach. Garrus could tell that the sharp talons of his feet were tearing through Thane's sheets and he couldn't care less about it – in fact, he was pleased that he was leaving his mark on the Drell's living space, since he couldn't….wouldn't leave his mark on the man himself.

"Please, Garrus…" came the breathy rasp in his ear "Faster."

He complied, aware that his own self-control was on the verge of snapping and he drilled harder into him, delighting in the way the tight sheath of flesh around him rippled with each thrust. An idea occurred to him and he suddenly rolled them over, lying on his back, his lover sprawled on his chest.

"You want it?" he hissed. "Go ahead. Fuck yourself on me." Garrus challenged and for a moment Thane just stared down at him, his expression unreadable, full lips parted as he panted from arousal and exertion. Then, he slowly rearranged himself on Garrus' lap and sat up, his jaw going slack when the full erection slid even further inside of him in his new position.

Bracing himself with his hands on Garrus' chest plates he began to move up and down, as fast and hard as he could, his lover's strong fingers curled around his hips, aiding his movement as much as he could. Garrus himself snapped up again and again when they set a new, punishing rhythm. One of the Drell's hands slid between their bodies and fondled his own erection, shamelessly rubbing himself as his pleasure climbed closer and closer to the edge.

Finally, he came with a guttural moan and seized up on top of Garrus, dark fluid shooting again and again from the tip of his organ, splattering against the iridescent scales of his chest and smoth hide of Garrus' stomach. The body around him rippled and he thought he could see the ribbed flesh of Thane's cock rippling as well as he came, before finally slumping against him, boneless with exhaustion, Garrus' unspent erection still throbbing inside of him.

Carefully Garrus pulled out of him and rolled them over again, arraging Thane on his side and lifting his knee up to his shoulder again before spooning behind him and sliding back in his willing, pliant body. It only produced a quiet, pleased moan and a hand came to rest on his jutting hip bone, urging him to thrust into him and find his own pleasure and he did, again and again until he finally came as well, nuzzling the heated scales of Thane's neck, teeth and mandibles clicking together as he spent himself inside of him.

They lay like that for a while, trying to catch their breaths and waiting for their breathing and heartbeat to slow down to normal before Garrus remembered to reach for the tattered remains of Thane's sleeping pants and use them to clean up both of them before dumping them back on the ground and pulling his blanket over both their bodies. The cot was narrow and they both barely fit in it, but he decided he didn't mind at all, suddenly feeling a surprising amount of tenderness for the Drell now dozing in his arms.

He had expected the conversation with Thane not to go well at all, considering the fact that the man had kept his preferences a secret from both his lovers, he had expected him to feel angry that Mordin had revealed this information to them, but in the end, Thane had seemed almost relieved by it. It was an interesting and unexpected turn of events, but very welcome nonetheless. His hand gently caressed the Drell's hip as he thought about Shepard and wondered how her own confrontation had gone. Somehow, he got the feeling that she'd return to the Normandy a lot less pleased than Garrus was at the moment and it would be up to them to cheer her up.


End file.
